1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to alarm systems, and more particularly to a low cost alarm system for houses located in a neighborhood setting. The alarm system is adapted for alerting neighbors, and uses neighbor or passerby intervention to summon emergency personnel.
2. Description of Prior Art
Household security and burglar alarm systems are commonplace. Typically such systems provide sensors such as infrared sensors keyed by body heat or sound sensors keyed by noise for sensing the presence of intruders. An alarm condition can then be declared by a controller for the sensors and detectors which is used to set of a local alarm, to transmit an alarm signal to a subscriber company which watches for such alarm conditions in households, or both.
Such household security systems are expensive to install, expensive to maintain and expensive to operate. They can be characterized by inflexibility, being geared to intruder detection at times when the residents of the house are away or have substantially confined their movements to a small portion of the dwelling. Such systems generally do not address the needs of individuals, particularly individuals living alone, for an alarm system that can be used to alert neighbors for aid in event of accident or illness, an alarm system which can be used by an individual to alert neighbors upon detection of an intruder within the dwelling place, or an alarm system which alerts neighbors upon activation of conventional smoke alarms.
One system partially directed to these needs is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,184. The reference teaches a low cost exterior alarm system providing sound and light source alerts for a house. The alarm system is actuated at the resident's or houseowner's command and provides for delayed or deadman switching to set off the alarm under certain circumstances. It is a system primarily directed to resident response to an intruder and provides no automatic features responsive to conditions relating to fire or cold which also could affect occupants or occur when the occupants are not at home.